state
Prison alternatives sought
United Press International
AUSTIN — The solution to
Texas’ prison overcrowding
problem is to stop building
“monuments to crime” and fun
nel more money into alternative
programs to keep criminals
from behind bars, lawmakers
told a House committee.
Members of the House Cri
minal Jurisprudence Commit
tee heard the chairman of the
House Law Enforcement Com
mittee testify Tuesdays that in
tensive probation, halfway
houses and restitution centers
will divert enough criminals
from prisons to stop the growth
in state prisons.
Texas is under a federal
court order to reduce prison
population or increase prison
size.
The population of the Texas
Department of Corrections is
expected to grow to 40,000 by
the end of 1983 with about 4,000
inmates still housed in tents.
Rep. Jim Rudd, D-
Brownfield,. said the current
growth rate of 300 to 500 pris
oners a month could be elimin
ated by better use of alterna
tives.
probation and parole depart
ments for use in beefing up such
existing programs as intensive
probation, where criminals are
closely scrutinized by probation
officers.
“At the rate we’re going, we
do not see an end to the popula
tion boom at TDC,” Rudd said.
Specifically, Rudd urged that
about $185 million be transfer
red from TDC’s proposed $800
million biennial budget to the
The money also could be
used to start new diversion prog
rams like restitution centers,
where criminals must work to
pay room and board, restitution
to their victims and support for
their own families, he said.
Pepe’s Mexican Food
For the fun of it!
Come out and enjoy the zesty taste
of our Mexican Food - for the fun of it!
3312 S. College
Bryan
Open Daily 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Post Oak Mall
107 Dominik
College Station
Open Daily 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m
Open 11 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
MSC
Basement
& MILLER
sat. March 5 th Rumours
Original
Rock & Roll
■ United Pn
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■ Barrel!
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rand jury,
Wednesday.
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Jumpin’ in the sun
Exercising and good weather seem to
go together. Mitch Dudek, a junior
industrial engineering major from
£ United P
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Tejas’
ling ring
Another tent city
checked for safety (Tf
United Press International
HOUSTON — Montgomery
County officials Tuesday plan
ned to return to the site of a
newly opened campsite for the
unemployed to look for possible
fire safety violations — the same
problem which forced the clos
ing of the controversial Tent
City, USA.
Fundamentalist preacher
Ray Meyer, disillusioned by the
aimlessness of Tent City resi
dents who recently were evicted
from a state roadside park be
cause of fire hazards posed by
ramshackle tents, recently
opened a makeshift camp for
the jobless on 2.8 acres of private
land in Montgomery County, 35
miles northeast of Houston.
Wary officials paid a visit to
the campsite Feb. 22 to point out
possible fire safety violations
and promised to return Tues
day to further specify hazards
that must be corrected and rules
that must be obeyed, an organiz
er said.
“The fire officials showed up
and laid down certain things
that must be done,” Jobe Matu-
sow, who is running the camp
with Meyer, said. “We had to re
move some wood stacked up,
and there was an open pit fire
near the tents that they wanted
moved back.
“There were about six people
who came out, all wearing guns.
We told them to tell us what the
(fire) code is and w hat to comply
with. We’ll comply with the law,
but let’s do it in a dignified way,”
he said.
Matusow, of Tucson, Ariz.
and the leader of a 14-member
group which calls itself Amer
ican Refugees in America, is
helping Meyer build huts and
latrines at the camp.
Meyer, who is unemployed
and lives in a small frame house
overlooking the wooded land,
said about 45 people already live
at the camp. However, none
came from Tent City.
“I exposed Tent City,” Meyer
said. “I said those people were
carrying off the food handouts
and selling it for booze. I tried to
help those people but it was a
disillusioning experience.”
With a Bible protruding from
his pocket and a
TBm
lions beeper attachedtoB A A
Meyer said he leased!# v.
plot on FM 1495 toattrw
r t ii United 1
needy people "hoagrets
at building permaneni blpartmen
at odd jobs, and \vhoab«B e( j over j
strict rules of conduct pj court f or
“We’re not establishiB man wh ,
gious community,' m )te d f ror
“We’re already a relig*®,- sex
munity. We’re giving™ y $ pj s
giving* (j
secure pjace to land,*, Tuesda
syste
We will help anyway s L tem to .
get them on their feel t ( an $14 4 '
However, he said se l meel | us ^
dents of the camphav res(ore
members of Meyer's heakh se]
and signed a “foresake« ndin _ a
tract giving all person;: s
ings to the group, g Buecal(
Meyer said money (»ft t on th(
camp comes fromdona® ania
work that members d( | p t , c’
He said as many as2jf eS ’ t0 be
can squeeze onto thep#
had two permanent ho! 1 1
when he leased it fof I
month in Novembe r |
there are four additM
huts and a scattering!
and trailers.
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